National Museum of Natural Science

This is a small rodent weighing 24-27 grams. Its fur is black, fine, and shiny, so it was once known as the velvet vole in Taiwan. The ears are small and round and the snout and tail are short. It is distributed in mountainous areas of Taiwan at elevations of 1,400-3,000 meters above sea level. Its preferred habitat is dense vegetation along the forest floor or forest margin. It mainly feeds on roots, stems, and leaves, followed by seeds.

Text/Chen Yan-Jun, Chen Mu-Xuan

Photo/Huang Xiao-Ting

Père David's vole